Apparatus for producing an embossed coating on sheet materials



April 1, 1952 M, w. DIT-ro ET AL APPRATUS FOR PRODUCING AN EMBOSSED COATING ON SHEET MATERIALS original Filed sept. 25, 1947 I N VEN TORS o? 99er Marvin W. DH1 Rchod Hau Patented Apr. 1, 1.952

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCIN G AN EMBOSSED COATING ON SHEET MATERIALS Marvin W. Ditto, New York, N. Y., and Richard H. Hugger, Ridgewood, N. J., assignors to Cordo Chemical Corporation, Norwalk, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Original application September 25, 1947, Serial No. 776,132. Divided and this application July 19, 1949, Serial N0. 105,562

7 Claims. (Cl. 118-101) The present invention relates to improvements in apparatus for embossing sheet materials coated with a lm of a thermoplastic resin or the like. This application is a division of our c- Ypending application, Serial No. 776,132, filed or the like.

Heretofore, in manufacturing such sheet material, it has been common to coat a base web with a film of thermo-plastic material and then as another operation pass the resulting laminated sheet betweenembossing rolls, at least one of which has an engraved or etched surface of .the design or ligure to impart to the thermoplastic material whatever effect is desired.

In order to make an impression with such an embossing roll when using a vinylite type of resin, it is necessary that the rolls be at temperatures up to 375 F. It is also essential to exert substantial pressure upon at least one of the rolls to give any permanency in the embossed eifect.

Assuming that the fabric is to be coated with a resin such as co-polymer vinylite resin, and that such resin has been applied to apaper or fabric sheet or web on a conventional coating machine, we pass the coated web through a preheating zone having a temperature of approximately 225 F. Immediately afterwards, the coated base is passed through a zone at a more elevated temperature of the order of 375 to 425 F. Assuming that the coating material is composed of resin, a plasticizer, and a coloring pigment, to give it a solid content of 82% to 90%,

the coated material Will be devolitilized to a 4major extent in the pre-heating zone or drying oven and will be completely devolitilized in the high temperature `zone or oven. In the latter, the temperature is sufficient to cause thermal fusion of the plastic and plasticizer elementsof the compound. We have found that if the coated sheet material when leaving the high temperature zone is brought in contact with a coolant containing embossingbelt or roll, designs chosen for the purpose of simulating a textile fabric or a leather surface and carried by the belt orv roll, are imprinted in the soft resin surface and as the result `of cooling, the embossed designs on the coating become permanent.

2 l A still further objectof our invention is to provide apparatus for producing such embossed materials continuously and of a new material which requires much higher temperatures than the thermo-plastics used in the past. Our material, referred to specifically as the vinylite copolymer, which may be compounded in the form of an organosol and applied to the base or web by any conventional coating equipment, suchas roller coaters, suspended knife coating, or reverse roll coaters. The organosols of the vinylite contain 14 to 16% of volatile matter which must be eliminated before the materialwill properly react to reach a point of fused stabilization, and this volatile material is largely driven off inpassing through the pre-heating oven which, :for this particular material, is maintained at al temperature of 250 to 300 F., while the coated sheet is exposed to such temperatures for about one minute. After passing through the pre-heating oven, the sheet material is passed through the zone of higher temperature (375 to 450 F.) where it is completely devolitilized and the coating is fused into a strong film upon the fabric.

In the past, if embossing rolls were employed, the coated fabric was devolatilized at lower temperatures than those required for these vnylite resin compositions and the sheet material was allowed to cool and the embossing Was done as separate operation.

When the embossing was to be performed, the web with its' coating was generally contacted with an embossing roll carried at an elevated temperature and heat was transmitted bythe roll to the web during the time pressurerwas being exerted by the rolls. In some instances, it was found advantageous to pre-heat the coated web before approaching the point of contact with the embossing roll, but to set the embossed sheet material, it was absolutely essential to transmit heat from the embossing roll to th coated web.

An embossing roll with its companion roll to carry the web forward and emboss it at the'same time, covers a relatively small area of the' web at eachl revolution of the embossing roll.' In apparatus according to the present inventionfwe obviate the objection of depending on theheat transmitted from the embossing roll 'to rthe plastic surface, and we obtain the desredresult in exactly the reverse set of conditions because we emboss during the absorption of heat from the Web,` by the embossing element instead of transmitting heat to the web as inV former practice. f I

-means,"such as steam conducting coils I5.

In accordance with our invention, we make a belt of satin, grosgrain silk, tapestry, brocade, finished leather, or the like, and such belt while passing a cooled roll or the like is brought into contact with `the thermo-plastic coating while the latter is in proper condition to be embossed. Instead of using a belt of such fabrics or finished leather, We find it desirable, especially Where the original fabric isof expensive material, to Vuse the negative impression resulting from the use of the original fabric as a negative to reverse the impression to obtain a positive which places the relative elevations of the surface of the coated material at the same positions as they were on the original fabric. In accomplishing this,v after the impression is made on a coated web, a belt is made from such coated material and this belt is used as an embossing medium to transfer the impression to another or new film of thermoplastic material in order to restore the impression from the negative to the positive relationship. This is practical and positive because of the fact that the embossing surface or belt is cooled below the softening temperature of the coating, as avresult of passage around the surface of a cooled roll and the very short period of contact with the heat bearing material to be embossed. Therefore, we obtain a faithful reproduction of any distortion resulting from the 'production of the negative from the original fabric.

With the lforegoing objects outlined and with other objectsl in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in the novel apparatus hereinafter described in detail, and in the apparatus illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional View of the coater head and pre-heating oven of the apparatus.

Fig. 1a is a similar view of the fusion oven, embossing means and wind-up mechanism.

Fig. 2 is a face view of a fragment of the nished sheet to illustrate an example thereof.

` Fig. -3 is an enlarged sectional view of a detail taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

`Referring to the drawing, 4 designates a reel on whichV is wound a web 5 of any suitable sheet such as vinylite co-polymer is discharged from l a hopper I0 or the like onto the web to form a film or coating, II entirely covering one side thereof, and the thickness of the film may be partially controlled by a valve I2 cooperating with the hopper. A spreader knife I3 forms part :of the coater head and functions to spread the resin on the web and to control the final thickness ofthe coating.

After leaving the coater head, the coated web passes into one end of a pre-heating oven I4, the interior of -which is maintained at a desired temperatureilO" to 300 F.) by any suitable In the oven, the web is supported by tiers of horizontal rolls I6 and while passing in reverse directions through the oven, the coated web passes about'hor'izontal idler rolls II and I8 journalled lat the 'ends of the oven'. As the roll I8 must contact the heatedcoating', it is preferably heated by'hot water or the like, indicated at I9.`

Vapors driven from the coating are drawn from the top of the oven by means of an exhaust fan 20 which also functions to draw air into the oven through the openings through which the coated web enters and leaves the oven, and the air after being heated within the oven is thus circulated or caused to travel, by the exhaust fan.

The coated material after being partially devolatilized in the pre-heating oven, is immediately passed while in pre-heated condition from the oven I4 to the fusion oven 2l (Fig. 1a), in which it passes under a horizontal roll 22, arranged at the lower end of the oven, and over a horizontal roll 23 positioned at the top portion of the oven. From the roll 23, the coated sheet passes down and out of the oven through an opening 24 at the bottom thereof.

The oven is provided at one side with an intake pipe 25 through which air heated to a temperature to the order of 375 to 450 F. is forced into the oven through a nozzle 26 positioned adjacent to the web outlet 24. Such nozzle is controlled by a damper 21, and the hot air blown through the nozzle immediately contacts the web coating and travels up the oven along one wall thereof before travelling downwardly to be discharged through a pipe 23 that has an intake 29 positioned adjacent to the web inlet 30. A vertical Vpartition 3I is arranged in the oven and extends upwardly from the bottom thereof into close proximity to the roll 23 to cause the hot air to travel first upwardly and then downwardly. Vapors evolved from the coating Within the oven 2| can be discharged through the pipe 28, and for temperature regulation and vapor discharge, the oven is preferably provided at its top with a pipe 32, and the pipes 28 and 32 are provided respectively with dampers 33 and 34.

Immediately below the web outlet 24 of the oven, We arrange the embossing mechanism and it preferably consists of a cooled roll 35, revolving about a fixed axis, and a pressure roll 36, revolving about a shiftable axis or axle 3l. The axle is preferably journalled in a pivoted supDOIt 38 arranged to turn about a horizontal shaft 39. Springs connecting the pivoted support to a Abase 4I', function to normally maintain the support 3B in a vertical position. For urging the pressure roll 36 toward the cooled roll 35, we may employ a piston 42, connected to the upper end of the support 38, and working in a stationary cylinder t3,V supplied with a pressurefluid through a conduit 44.

Roll 35 may be cooled by any-suitable medium such as cold water or the like, 'and it acts as a guide'for an embossing belt 45. This belt, as heretofore mentioned, maybe made Aof a textile fabric bearing a design or pattern to be imparted to the coactingon'the web, orthe belt may be of 'leather having a finish such as pinseal, Scotch grain, alligator, orthelike, to be imparted to the coating. The belt passes not only about the cooled roll 35, but also about idler rolls 46, 4148 and 49, the last three rolls being preferablyjournalled in the frame of a wind-up mechanism. Such mechanism has idler rolls5l and 52, under and over'which the finished material passes before contacting a driven roll 53 which cooperates withha driven reel 54 to draw the Web through the apparatus and toV finally wind it into .a roll 55.

In operation, it Will be understood that the vinylite cof-polymer coating or the like'after being placed on the Web 3, is forced into contact With the Webby the doctor blade I3 which spreads the coating and imparts 'the desired thickness dition, is immediately passed into the fusion oven 2| where it is contacted with hot .air at a temperature as high as 425 F. The coated web passes through the oven 2l in from one quarter to one and a half minutes as we have found that this time atV such temperatures is sufficient to thoroughly fuse the coating'so that such coating will be impressed by the embossing belt 45 while lthe' beltl and coated web passbetween the cooled roll? 35 and' pressure roll 36- immediately upon exit from the fusion oven.

Assuming that the material to be used for coating` the fabric is that disclosed in application, Serial No. 611,866, filed August 21, 1945, it will be necessary to eliminate the volatile matterV in the organosol mainly orV entirely in the oven I4 so that the function of the thermal reaction in the fusion oven 2| will result in fusing the resin with its plasticizer to form a plastic film upon the web. As soon as such fusion takes place, the coated web leaves the fusion zone and is immediately introduced between the rolls 35 and 3S while the coating is in its most favorable soft state to receive the desired surface finish. As roll 35 is cooled, the fused coating while being finished or embossed, solidifies permanently into its finished form.

In prior practice, once the fabric has been coated, it has been allowed to cool and passed between calendaring rolls, one of which is an embossing roll maintained at a temperature of 350 to 370 F., and this hot roll caused the plastic material to soften and flow while undergoing embossing by the embossing roll. In some instances, the web was pre-heated before contact with the embossing roll, thereby eliminating the necessity of supplying all of the heat to melt the plastic material from the rolls themselves. Our apparatus eliminates the necessity for introducing calendaring rolls and embossing rolls and We thereby also eliminate the necessity of heating such rolls. In accordance with our apparatus, the coating is devolatilized and then brought to a state of fusion before contact with the embossed surface of a belt 45 or the like, and at the time of such contact, the coated material is cooled and subjected to sufiicient pressure to permanently impart the surface configuration of the belt 01 the like to the coating or film.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the coating Il on the web 5, during embossing, is provided with raised portions 56 and depressed portions 51 and it will be obvious that such surface ornamentation will accord with the finish of the fabric employed as the belt 45. If the fabric of the belt is of expensive silk, tapestry, brocade, or the like, we prefer to use it only initially to irnpart a negative finish to the coating Il. Afterwards, the coated web so finished may be used to make a substitute belt and then that belt,

when placed on the machine, as indicated at 45 7 in Fig. 1a, will function to impart a positive surface finish to the coating H of the other sheet material. This is possible because the belt 45 even though including a thermo-plastic film, is not introduced into the oven but is maintained 6 in acold condition while contacted with the fused coating on `the coated web leaving `the fusion oven.

From the foregoing, it is believed the general organization and the details of the apparatus may be readily understood and we areawar'e that changes may be made in the details disclosed Without departing from the spirit of theinvention, `as expressed in thefollowing claims.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In anapparatus of the character described. a fusion oven, said oven having an inletV opening, means'for guiding a web through said' inlet opening and through the ovenfmeans for introducing a heated gas into andfor discharging the heated gas from the oven, said ovenhaving a web outlet, cooledl roll arrangedfin closev proximity'tosaid outlet' guide rolls, an" embossing belt `passing .about said guide rolls and said cooled roll,l a

pressure roll to force the web' toward the" cooled roll, means for pressing. the pressure roll toward the' cooled roll, .and meansfor drawing the web throughthe oven and between the cooled-and pressure roll.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, including means for controlling the heated gas: passed through the oven.

3. In an apparatus of the character described, a fusion oven having a web discharge opening and an inlet opening for the web, a cooled roll arranged in close proximity to said discharge opening, guide rolls, an embossing belt trained about the guide rolls and the cooled roll, a pressure roll for forcing a web against the cooled roll, means for forcing the pressure roll toward the cooled roll for pressing a web against the belt as the web is discharged from the opening of the oven, and means for winding a web and for pulling it through the oven and between the cooled roll and the pressure roll.

e. An apparatus of the character described comprising, a pre-heating oven provided with means for guiding a web coated with thermoplastic material through the oven in zigzag fashion, means at the intake end of the oven for applying a lm of thermo-plastic material to the web, a fusion oven arranged at the outlet end of the pre-heating oven, web guiding means in the fusion oven for causing the web to travel. in reverse directions, means for introducing a heated gas into the fusion oven at one point and for discharging the same from the oven at a point remote from the first-mentioned point, said fusion oven having a web outlet arranged adjacent to the means for introducing heated gas, a cooled roll arranged in close proximity to said outlet, guide rolls, an embossing belt trained about the guide rolls and the cooled roll, a pressure roll for forcing a web toward the cooled roll and into contact with the belt as the web is discharged from the fusion oven,land winding mechanism for drawing the coated web through the preheating and fusion ovens and between the cooled roll and pressure roll.

5, Apparatus for embossing a web comprising,

heated gas inlet adjacent the web outlet and a gas outlet adjacent the web inlet, a cooled roll adjacent the web outlet, and an embossing belt trained about said roll for engagement by said web moving through the web outlet.

6. Apparatus for embossing a web, an oven the discharge opening, and said pulling means being arranged in a position to maintain the web in engagement with the embossing belt as the belt moves about the cooled rotatable roll.

7. Apparatus for curing and embossing a plastic coated web, an oven having an inlet opening and an outlet opening for the web, means for heating the oven, a cooled rotatable roll mounted in close proximity to said discharge opening, a movable embossing belt trained about said cooled roll, means for maintaining the embossing belt taut about the cooled roll, a pressure roll arranged parallel with the cooled roll and mounted lfor pulling a web through the oven and through Y for bodily movement towards then-,axis of the cooled roll, and means for guiding the web through the oven and to the position between the pressure roll and the embossing belt as it moves about the cooled roll.

MARVIN W. Dri'ro. RICHARD H. HUGGER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Date Number Name 1,130,846 Schneebeli Mar. 9, 1915 1,177,006 Arnold -'Mar. 28, 1916 1,472,884 Pater Nov. 6, 1923 1,551,913 Smith Sept. 1, 1925 1,580,957 Chaiee et al Apr. 13, 1.926 1,702,161 Huppuch Feb. 12, 1929 2,387,631 Weir Oct. 23, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date Great Britain June 17, 1929 

